Here I Am
by azngirl123
Summary: He kissed her to illustrate his words. She smiled through her tears, “Good, because here I am and I’m not leaving.” Percabeth. Read to find out what happens with Percy and Annabeth when Annabeth takes a job in Boston and leaves Percy behind.


**A/N: Here's a Percabeth story that kind of sad! Annabeth had never been offered to rebuild Olympus and Silena and Beckendorf never dies. Pretty much the majority of Last Olympian didn't happen to make this story work. The only thing that did happen was Annabeth and Percy getting together and winning the ear. Enjoy and review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO.**

No One's POV

Annabeth concentrated on the dull glow of the desk lamp. Here she was in Boston, hundreds of miles away from him. It was 10PM on a Saturday night. No twenty-two year old should be working this late on a Saturday. She sighed deeply, wanting nothing more than to go home. Not to the lavish one-bedroom apartment the company supplied for her. Sure it was nice, but it was lonely and foreign. Even the furniture was foreign; the apartment had come fully furnished. It certainly wasn't what she'd consider a "home," it just didn't have the personal touches that she had.

This was probably why she had adapted to working late hours in the office. It was her miserable excuse of avoiding going home to her apartment. It was her reason to avoid the loneliness that her apartment offered.

New York was where her true home was, even if she lived a part of her life in California. It was still her home.

She sighed for the thirtieth time in the last hour. She stared at the blue prints in front of her.

"No one should be working on a Saturday. Let alone at 10PM on a Saturday," Annabeth thought bitterly, "What did I do to deserve this depressing life?" She sighed once again and ignored her own rhetorical question. She knew perfectly well the situation she was faced with was her own fault and no one else's.

Just over three months ago, she had received a job offer to be an architect for one of the biggest architectural companies, North East Architectural Designs. Immediately, she had been blinded by the sizable paycheck and possibility the possibility of her designs. In her blindness, she failed to realize accepting the job would mean losing everything she had ever known and been comforted by. If she accepted the job, she would have to live in Boston. Her friends and boyfriend had seemed like an inadequate reason to stay. She would make new friends and there was nothing wrong with having a long distance relationship. Right?

They had strongly disagreed.

Malcolm, Rachel, Clarisse, the Stoll Brothers, Silena, and Beckendorf all lived in New York for the past years. She became so close with them and was upset that she was leaving. They all went to go see her off, but there was one person missing, Percy, her then boyfriend. He was angry about her decision and refused to see her off, partly out of spite, and partly because he knew he wouldn't be able to handle seeing her leave. He had been hurt at her insistence that this was the best thing for her.

"_Percy, you know, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Imagine what this could do for my career! This is the best thing that has ever happened to me! I can't just give it up, without at least thinking about it first. It's not fair for you to be so judgmental of me over this! If you'd had a chance at something like this I'd want you to consider it!" Annabeth snipped, irritated at his refusal to see her side of things. Both of their tempers had gotten the better of them._

"_The 'best thing' that's ever happened to you, huh?" He wondered, covering the hurt he was feeling with his irate tone, "Well, I guess that leaves me with second prize! If even that! Is Luke the second best? Or maybe Jake, your ex? How far down on the list, exactly, am I? I always knew this," he gestured between himself and Annabeth, "was too good to be true. My heart was bound to be broken sooner or later."_

"_You're twisting my words around and acting like I'm doing this specifically to hurt you!" She snapped back, angrily. "I'm not! It has nothing to do with you or your stupid insecurities! This is about my career and _me_. If you can't see that…" she trailed off, knowing the threat was idle._

"_This has nothing to do with me or my insecurities!" Percy mocked her in a high-pitched voice, his face set in a furious scowl. "I don't have insecurities about our relationship! It has to do with you choosing your career over me! You're right," he spat sarcastically, "that sounds like it has nothing to do with me at all!"_

"_You're not being fair!" Annabeth growled, "I'm not choosing my career over you! We can still have a relationship! People have long distance relationships all the time! This is not unfixable. You're just being stubborn!"_

"_Long-distance relationships never work out, Annabeth!" He argued, "And you know it! We might as well save ourselves the hassle and end it now! I don't want to stick this out only to have our relationship die a slow and painful death as time and distance tear us apart! If you take this job, it will kill our relationship and you know it. And you think I'm being unfair? I'll tell you what's not fair!" he exclaimed, "My girlfriend, the woman I was prepared to spend the rest of my life with, is willing to sacrifice our relationship, for a job. I would __never__ do that to you. Never. There is not a job on this earth that would make me leave you."_

_She gave him an angry glare before yelling, "I never said that I was choosing my career over you! Stop being so stubborn and pretending I don't love you! You know I do!"_

"_But you are, aren't you? How I am supposed to think any differently? Do you really love me more than your career? If I asked you to, would you reject this job offer, for me… for us?" Percy asked pointedly._

_She remained silent. Annabeth looked her in the eye, silently, giving her one last chance to speak, his eyes pleading with her to say that she didn't mean anything she had just said, and that she only wanted him._

_She didn't move or say anything._

_He bowed his head slightly and pursed his lips, "I see." He turned on his heel and moved to stomp out the door. He held the doorknob in his hand, "Hey Annabeth," he said in an eerily calm voice, "Do what you want, this relationship is dead to me." With that, he twisted the knob harshly and stomped out the door, making sure to slam it behind him._

_Only once he was gone, and she was left with the echoing sound of the slammed door filling the apartment, did she allow herself to break down and cry._

There isn't a day where she didn't regret saying nothing. A few simple words could have changes the outcome of the situation.

If only she'd known the hell her 'opportunity of a lifetime' would turn out to be, she would have never thought twice about leaving. If only she'd thought about how much Percy meant to her, and how much losing him would kill her inside, she wouldn't have even considered leaving an option. But now, he was off in New York hating her. His last words to her were imprinted on her brain, serving as a constant reminder of how badly she had hurt him. The thought made her feel shaky and weak. How could she have turned someone who had once loved her so much into someone who hated her?

Once she had reached Boston, her 'once in a lifetime' job was nothing like she had expected.

Substituting the large office with a view she had expected, it was a small, cramped office. Even that wasn't her own; she shared it with two others. Her job was essentially to edit all the structural details of the blue prints other employees made. When she had been told she would be helping constructing a city, she had naïvely assumed that she would be the one creating the blue prints and deciding what materials to be used. But that was definitely not the case; the only deciding that was involved with her job was deciding what to have for lunch.

She quickly realized what her friends had been trying to tell her all along. Instead of hastily accepting a job offer in another city, without knowing all the details, she should have taken her time to better understand what she was doing and weigh the pros and cons of it.

Now she was stuck. Instead of returning to New York and admitting she had been wrong to her friends, she held her wounded pride above her happiness and pursued a career she had absolutely no interest in continuing in. At least it paid well, she thought bitterly. It was her fatal flaw. Hubris, she had too much pride.

She hadn't spoken to Percy since that fateful night. He hadn't returned to their apartment they shared that night, or any other night for the last week she had remained in New York, opting to stay with Stoll Brothers instead. She had hardly spoken to any of the others, either. She was surprised by their friends' faithfulness to Percy. Even Clarisse and Silena, whom she had considered closer to her than Percy had taken his side of the argument. Now that she had had time to reflect on the situation, she realized it had probably been because they were as hurt as he was over the situation. He might be losing his girlfriend, but they were each losing a best friend.

Only Malcolm still spoke to her, more out of duty as her brother than anything else. He'd told her that Percy had specifically asked him to tell her that he did not want her to call him to apologize or for any other reason, he just didn't want to speak to her, period. Annabeth felt helpless. That was one thing she definitely did not enjoy feeling. Being in control of all aspects of her life was what kept her sane. She truly wanted to respect his wishes, but there was always a part of her that argued she had to fight for him and make him see her point of view. She couldn't leave their relationship so unresolved.

Malcolm and Percy had become much closer as she and Percy began dating. They were almost as close as Percy and Grover. She'd once made the mistake of asking Malcolm how Percy was, a few weeks after she'd arrived in Boston.

"_So how's Percy?" She asked, trying her best to sound casual and upbeat. Breezy even. She failed miserably._

"_Look, Annabeth," he demanded, "can we not talk about this? Just leave it alone." _

"_I just want to know how he's doing," she pressed stubbornly, telling herself she just wanted to check to see that he was coping okay now that she had left. "Or rather," her brain taunted her, "you just want to see if he's as miserable as you are! Cowardly and jealous, that's all you are!"_

"_Annabeth, I don't think this is the best-" he started only to be interrupted._

"_It's a simple question!" she spat out in her frustration, "Just answer it. Please!"_

"_You really want to talk about Percy, huh? I don't think you want to hear this, but you're so damn stubborn and gods knows you always have to have your way. He's fine. Better than fine, actually!" Malcolm spat spitefully down the line, "He went on a blind date last night. He's still living in the apartment; though he just moved a good chunk of your stuff out and put it into storage and brought in his own furniture last week. He really is starting to move on." Malcolm told her, the malice in his voice subsiding a little. Even though she was his sister and he loved her, he was as angry with her as the rest. In that moment he felt particularly spiteful towards her for devastating Percy and acting so casually about it, insisting that they discuss it, when she should have known perfectly well how he was doing._

_Of course, Malcolm knew what he had told his sister was not the complete truth and most of it had only been said in his frustration towards her. Percy was far from fine. Miserable was a far more suitable term; maybe beyond miserable. While it was true he had gone on a date the previous night, it was only because Rachel and Silena had practically forced him on it, hoping to snap him out of his terrible mood and begin the moving on process. It had after all been more than a month since he had broken up with Annabeth, and he'd hardly ventured out of his sweat pants, other than to go to work, and very occasionally when the others forced him to come to lunch or dinner with them. Malcolm wasn't exactly happy that Percy was "moving on" past his sister, but reflected that Annabeth had been the one to make the changes. It was her fault, not his. She could blame no one but herself._

"_He – he's moved on?" Annabeth breathed into the phone, close to tears, "I can't believe it. I've been gone three weeks and he's moved on. Gods, he hates me that much?" she wondered, her silent tears finally spilling over. "Only four weeks!" she managed to squeak out, upset._

"_Annabeth, it's not like that-" he tried to comfort her, feeling slightly guilty for his exaggeration of Percy's mood and the situation, but it was too late, she had already hung up, tears rolling down her cheeks._

Annabeth looked sadly at her desk drawer which held a drachma in it; she wanted to desperately IM Percy, if for no other reason than to say she was sorry and see him again. Just too simply talk to him and hear his soft voice.

She sighed; thinking about him was only serving to make her more miserable. She would give anything to hear his voice again, even if it was just to reassure her than he didn't hate her.

She looked away from the drawer; she had no intention to break her promise to IM him. Forcing her thoughts away, she reminded herself he was no longer a part of her life. She still loved him; there was no doubt about that, in her mind at least. She knew he and the others probably had their doubts, but why wouldn't they? She hadn't exactly been doing the best job at proving it. They had been separated a little over three months and her feelings for him had not changed at all since the last time she had seen him. Their subsequent fight and the months they had been separated had done nothing to change her mind.

Often she regarded him as her boyfriend without thinking. It seemed to come to her so naturally. She constantly wondered if he still loved her. Sure, Malcolm had said he'd gone on dates, but that meant nothing. He couldn't have fallen in love so quickly, right? Even though he was hundreds of miles away the thought that he possibly still loved her, brought a warm comfort. She had tried to forget, but it was inevitable. He had left an everlasting imprint on her heart.

She wasn't exactly looking forward to returning to her apartment that night. No matter how much she disliked her job, she disliked going to bed more. Sleeping alone between the cold sheets, with no one there to wrap his arms around her and kiss her good night, it seemed to be only another reminder of how much she missed him. The only thing she despised more than going to bed alone was waking up alone. It only reminded her that she would have to go through another day alone. "You don't have to be without him, you know," her ever-logical internal voice reminded her, 'He might take you back. You should try, and then you would know you tried your best, but there was nothing else you could do.'

She snapped out of her reverie, once again concentrating half-heartedly on the dull glow of her desk lamp. The words seemed distant and useless. But so was dwelling on the past, what good was it to think about those things, especially now that all her friends and former boyfriend hated her?

In the darkened room, she could just make out the symbols embossed on the blue print, by means of the light provided by the dull lamp. Frustrated with herself and her job, Annabeth threw her head in her hands and cried out in frustration as loudly as she could. She knew no one would hear, as she was the only individual left in the building at such a late hour. Even the janitorial staff had left by now. Only the night security guard would remain in the building, numerous floors below, in the lobby.

For a few minutes Annabeth calmed herself down by rolling in her office chair and squeezing the stress ball one of her more friendly co-workers had given her. After deciding she had calmed down enough to leave, she exited the multiple open documents on the computer, not bothering to save them and flicked the computer off. She snatched her purse and coat from their resting place in the small office closet.

She was sick of this pathetic excuse for a job. She was fed up with this city. And most of all she was tired of missing Percy so much it brought her physical pain. She swore she would resolve this once and for all.

She was going to New York.

Annabeth burst out of the office building, feeling the humid summer air of the sticky Boston night surround her. She jogged to the Porsche her father had given her as a moving gift to help her out with her fresh start in Boston. She wanted – needed - to reach Percy as soon as humanly possible. She was tired of not knowing. She desperately needed to know. Desperately needed to see him. To touch him, and feel his arms around her and kiss him.

She only prayed they would get that far.

Whatever the case was, she was going to find out. Tonight. Even if it was the last thing she did. She glanced desolately at the building she had just exited. She would never return here. Even if he rejected her, she would find somewhere else to be miserable. She drove away, fully intending never to come back. Wherever she was in the morning, she'd call in and quit.

It was over.

--

Four hours later Annabeth drummed her fingers nervously on the steering wheel. She was quickly nearing New York. With each passing minute she was becoming more nervous. Suddenly she began doubting everything she was about to do. What if he had a girlfriend now? Maybe those dates Malcolm had mentioned had led to something? What if he hated her enough that he refused to talk to her? What if he wasn't home? Millions of 'what ifs' poured through her mind at an impossible rate, but she continued driving, her previous words to herself echoing in her head, "He might take you back. You have to try, than you would know you tried your best, but there was nothing you could do…" You have to try.

Keeping her own advice in mind, she drove, fighting the overwhelming urge to close her eyes and sleep, and dream of nothing but times when she and Percy were happy. As she continued to drive, daydreams took over. The realism of them sent her spinning; she could almost taste his kisses on her lips and feel his arms embracing her.

Each second that ticked by felt like an hour. Sometime just after four in the morning, Annabeth pulled up in front of a familiar building.

She sat in her car, taking deep calming breaths, preparing herself to face the man she loved and the possibility of rejection. "A very likely possibility," she reminded herself, "There's no guarantee he still loves you. You can only hope with all your heart, however black he may think it is that he loves you enough to forgive you for being such an idiot."

Once she felt confident enough and she wasn't literally feeling sick when she thought of approaching Percy and facing rejection, she lifted herself out of the driver's seat and approached the building with nervous caution. She let herself into the lobby punching in the numeric combination to unlock the lobby door and quickly ascended the stairs to the third floor. She rummaged momentarily in her purse, thankful that she had kept the keys to her former apartment.

Using her key, she let herself into the apartment as noiselessly as she could, slowly taking in the sight around her. With the bright moonlight pouring through the large bay window she could see the otherwise dark apartment quite clearly. Everything had changed.

The apartment was now a shadow of what it had been. Annabeth grudgingly had to admit she liked it. When they had lived together, she had never given Percy's taste in décor a second thought. But she had to admit the apartment looked nice. The furniture was crisp, a lot of it new, and quite tasteful. She guessed his friends had helped him pick out a lot of the new furniture. They probably all had a fun day out shopping, she thought bitterly, figuring out how they could best erase her memory from their lives. She sighed. No point in thinking so pessimistically… yet.

Recalling her original reason for being in the apartment, she crept towards his bedroom. Taking care to remain silent, she gradually slid the door open, mentally preparing herself for the worst case scenario of him cuddled in the bed with another woman. When the door was open enough for her to enter, she took a deep breath, to steady her nerves before peering inside. She was infinitely thankful to find that he was fast asleep, alone.

He was lying on his side facing away from her, snoring lightly in that cute way that made her smile. Annabeth grinned fully, as his sleeping habits rushed back into her memory. He had always snored, although not in a loud, annoying way. His snoring was soft and gentle, something that had always helped lull her to sleep. It was something that had reinforced his presence and reassured her he'd always be there for her when she truly needed him.

Annabeth walked to the other side of his bed, so she could see his face as he slept. He looked adorable, she noted. She'd always thought he looked his best when he was sleeping. His face was always relaxed and free of worry, and he had a habit of smiling in his sleep, which Annabeth found endearing. His jet black hair was tousled and his gorgeous sea green eyes closed slightly in a deep sleep. She badly wanted to see his eyes. She almost woke him, simply so she could stare into his eyes, like she had many times before, but she stopped herself, wanting to savor this moment a little longer… before possibly sentencing herself to rejection. The blankets were twisted around his body carelessly. He was smiling contentedly into his pillow, probably dreaming of something happy. For a fleeting moment, she allowed herself to believe he was dreaming of her.

Maybe he really was?

The thought sent butterflies fluttering merrily through her insides.

Annabeth lovingly sat down on the edge of the bed, careful not to wake him from his slumber. She watched him sleep in silence for a few minutes before realizing how cliché she'd become. Sitting up half the night... watching the man she loved sleep.

Great. She'd become the heroine from a soppy, sweet, made-for-TV-movie-special of the week. Still, she was unable to disturb the serenity of the moment and shifted closer to him, moving carefully, so she wouldn't rouse him. She wasn't ready to face him just yet. She needed a few more minutes of lying in his presence and soaking up the warmth she felt when she was around him. Watching him while he knew nothing of her existence in his bedroom would be much different than staring into his beautiful green eyes, which she knew would silently demand answers she was not ready to provide just yet.

Annabeth bit her lip and slowly, unable to help herself, inched closer to Percy, until she was close enough to touch his face with only the barest of movements. She lay down next to him so their bodies were parallel. Shyly reaching out, but still terrified of waking him, but knowing she had to keep her promise to herself, she stroked his soft hair, watching his face for signs of movement as she did so. Leisurely, his sleep-blurred eyes fluttered opened, before quickly shutting again. In his sleep he murmured incoherently, unintentionally rolling nearer to Annabeth's touch. "Annabeth…" he mumbled into his pillow, his thoughts automatically shifting to her. Even though he was still half-asleep and didn't realize what he was saying, those words were the only thing she needed to hear at that moment. She quickly shoved the massive grin that had exploded across her face away.

She moved more fully onto the bed, and began caressing Percy's hair and his cheek. Before long, he became more conscious and registered what was happening around him. "Anna- Annabeth?" he wondered in awe, staring at Annabeth desperately, clearly wondering if he was dreaming. She simply nodded in response. In one fluid movement he sat up and pulled her into a tight embrace; a far better reaction than she had dared hope for.

"Annabeth!" He pulled her tighter to his chest; burying his face in her neck, whispering, as if afraid a louder voice would ruin the illusion, "Gods I've missed you so much."

She quickly nodded, snuggling deeper into his embrace, not satisfied with the simple hug he was offering her. Feeling brave, she wrapped her hands in his hair, around his head, pulling his lips closer to her. Their lips touched gently in a tender kiss. When he didn't object, and merely returned the kiss eagerly, Annabeth allowed herself to become lost; her relief and gratitude surfacing in her passionate embrace. Five minutes later the two were still entwined and kissing hungrily, hardly stopping to breathe.

In a soft voice, barely audible to Percy, Annabeth whispered the first words she'd spoken to him that night, voicing her overwhelming need for more, to feel closer still, "Please, I want – I need you. I've missed you so, so much. I was stupid," she pleaded. He nodded and smiled in response and pulled her closer still, drawing her back into his kiss, not daring to let her go, for fear she would disappear. He wanted nothing more.

--

As the sun was rising later that morning, they remained cuddled in bed. They had spent the last few hours alternating between talking lightly and sharing kisses. As much as they both knew there was a lot that still needed to be worked out between them, they had avoided those issues, just wanting to revel in being close to one another again.

Percy was the first to break the oddly comfortable silence that had formed, as she lay contentedly in his arms. The warm weight of her head resting on his bare shoulder was insanely comforting.

"I knew you'd be back," he whispered into her hair, kissing it, as he tentatively broached the subject they had been avoiding all night.

She could feel tears flowing freely down her cheeks and dripping onto his chest. She squeezed him tighter, not even allowing him to move enough to look at her.

"What's wrong? You're crying," he observed, concerned, upon feeling the wetness of her tears against his skin. The only reply he received was her muffled sniffle, so he continued, worriedly, "Shouldn't this be a happy moment? You are staying aren't you?" He felt a panic shoot through him at the possibility she wouldn't. The notion of her leaving again after she had only just come back to him was unfathomable.

Annabeth spoke nervously, still irrationally terrified he might tell her to leave, despite the sentiment he had expressed which told her the exact opposite. "I missed you so much, Percy. I love you so much," she declared. "I was so stupid. I can't live without you. I – I – just can't. I can't do it. I need you. I guess, I'm crying because I'm just – just happy to be here. Relieved you let me back into your life," she explained, "I want to stay here with you, but what I - I need to know is will you let me? If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I'll do anything, absolutely anything to make you love me again. If you already have a girlfriend," her throat tightened as she spoke the word, "I'll understand-"Percy put his fingers to her lips, stopping her from speaking any further.

"Shhh, honey. I do _not_ have a girlfriend. How could I? I love you. Silena and Rachel forced me on a couple dates, because I was miserable over you, and they thought someone new might help me move on. But, no one could ever compare to you because you are the love of my life."

"Does that mean…?" She enquired, allowing a tiny sliver of anxious excitement to creep into her voice.

Percy slowly answered, "I've been waiting for you to come back since the moment you left. I've been walking around like a zombie since you left. Ask anybody! I'm beyond just miserable without you. I'm not planning on letting you walk away from us, ever again. As long as I have a say in the matter, I want us together. Trust me; as long as you're willing to stay, I'm always going to want you to. I never stopped loving you, no matter what happens. Never. Not even for one second. I know we have some issues to work out, and we will, eventually, because there is nothing we can't get through together as long as we love one another. I don't want to talk about those things right now, though. I just want to lay here in bed and be with you." He kissed her to illustrate his words.

She smiled through her tears, "Good, because here I am and I'm not leaving."

**A/N: How'd you like it? Review!**

**-**_**azngirl123**_


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